Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Official Cars

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people in his Department have been entitled to use the Government Car Service in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

I am committed to ensuring that the trains enter service as planned. Contractual details regarding any compensation is commercially confidential.During the period 2009-10 to date, the following numbers of ministers have been entitled to use Government cars: 2009-1042010-1142011-1242012-1342013-1442014-1552015-165 As a result of a series of changes, including closure of the Government mail service, overall operating costs have fallen from £20.956m in 2010/11 to £6.325m in 2014/15. During the same period the number of vehicles in the GCS for use by ministers have fallen from 227 to 78.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am committed to ensuring that the trains enter service as planned. Contractual details regarding any compensation is commercially confidential.During the period 2009-10 to date, the following numbers of ministers have been entitled to use Government cars: 2009-1042010-1142011-1242012-1342013-1442014-1552015-165 As a result of a series of changes, including closure of the Government mail service, overall operating costs have fallen from £20.956m in 2010/11 to £6.325m in 2014/15. During the same period the number of vehicles in the GCS for use by ministers have fallen from 227 to 78.

M54: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will commission a cost-benefit analysis on the potential benefit of extending the M54 to Shrewsbury on Shrewsbury and the surrounding area.

Andrew Jones: Highways England’s forthcoming work on the next iteration of their Route Strategies is the means of assessing pressures and needs and generating proposals across the entire strategic road network, including the M54 and A5. The Route Strategies will inform the preparation of the next Road Investment Strategy. Any specific proposals that require investment will of course need to be underpinned by a strong and clear business case.

Transport: Greater Manchester

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the consolidated local transport budget for Greater Manchester after implementation of the devolution deal (a) in total and (b) per capita.

Andrew Jones: The Budget 2016 document set out that a total of £2.86bn would be provided to the places that had agreed devolution deals as unringfenced single pots. This includes the consolidated transport grants. A detailed breakdown of the grant for Greater Manchester will be set out by Ministers shortly.

A64

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make representations to Highways England and Transport for the North on extending the A64 dual carriageway to Barton Hill.

Andrew Jones: Highways England’s forthcoming work on the next iteration of their Route Strategies is the means of assessing pressures and needs and generating proposals across the entire strategic road network, including the A64. The Route Strategies will inform the preparation of the next Road Investment Strategy. Any specific proposals that require investment will of course need to be underpinned by a strong and clear business case.

Aviation: Mental Health

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Le Bureau d'Enguetes et d'Analyses report into Andreas Lubitz, published on 13 March 2016, if his Department will bring forward proposals to enable airlines to access mental health records of pilots within their employment.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK has a long held, well-established and robust process for certifying the ‘fitness to fly’ of pilots. The General Medical Council (GMC) has guidelines for doctors which give UK doctors an ethical duty to report concerns about a patient to the relevant authority if that condition presents a risk to public safety and the patient hasn't reported it. Medical requirements for commercial pilots are determined by European Legislation. In response to the Germanwings crash in March 2015, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is developing a European aeromedical data repository system which will be deployed by December 2016. This repository system will contain the current fitness to fly status of all European pilots. It is important that this repository is implemented on a European-wide basis, as many pilots who work in the UK or work for UK airlines are not resident in the UK, are not British nationals and have medical certificates that are overseen by other European States. It is in the UK’s interests for all pilots flying in Europe to be subject to a high standard of medical fitness and common legislation, in the interests of aviation safety.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Sanctions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding from UK sources is estimated to become available to Iran following the signing of the nuclear deal and sanctions relief.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 29 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

We expect that approximately £525 million£657,830,000 of Iranian assets in the UK have been unfrozen following Implementation Day of the nuclear deal on 16 January, when the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had taken all the necessary steps to trigger the lifting of nuclear-related financial and economic sanctions against Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We expect that approximately £525 million£657,830,000 of Iranian assets in the UK have been unfrozen following Implementation Day of the nuclear deal on 16 January, when the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had taken all the necessary steps to trigger the lifting of nuclear-related financial and economic sanctions against Iran.

Chevening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who has (a) visited and (b) stayed at Chevening House since 7 May 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This Government regularly publishes information on the use of official residences and ministerial meetings.Details are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=foreign-commonwealth-office&publication_type=transparency-data

Marshall Islands: Nuclear Disarmament

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has received in the case brought at the International Court of Justice in the Hague from 8 March 2016 by the Marshall Islands against the UK and other states on obligations concerning negotiations relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Government received legal representations from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 24 April 2014, when the Marshall Islands submitted their application. I met Tony deBrum, the then Marshall Islands Foreign Minister, in May 2014 to discuss the issue. The UK filed written objections to jurisdiction and admissibility with the Court in June 2015, and the Marshall Islands provided a written response to those objections in October 2015. Oral hearings on whether the case should proceed to the next phase in which the merits will be considered are currently underway at the ICJ in The Hague.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Lasers: Sales

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to regulate the power level of laser pens offered for sale in Britain.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 March 2016



It is already illegal to sell unsafe laser pens – generally defined as those over 1 milliwatt – to consumers in the UK. However, we are looking closely at a range of potential legislative options for controlling further the sales, use and possession of unsafe laser pens, especially in relation to children.

Scholarships: Refugees

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many university scholarships have been taken up by Syrian refugees in the last five years.

Joseph Johnson: This information is not held by the department or its agencies.The sector led Supporting Professionalism in Admissions Programme (SPA) has published good practice guidance on admissions for refugees and asylum seekers.Through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, the Government is working closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to identify those most at risk and bring them to the UK.The UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the Syrian crisis. On 4 February 2016, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. This is our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis and means that the UK is one of the largest donors to the Syria crisis.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish the actual or potential conflicts of interest declared by the Pubs Code Adjudicator, Mr Paul Newby, prior to his appointment.

Anna Soubry: The appointment panel satisfied itself there were no conflicts of interest when they made recommendations to Ministers. In due course and as is usual practice, the Adjudicator’s office will publish a register of interests.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants to the Pubs Code Adjudicator role declared actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Anna Soubry: It is standard Government practice not to provide such information. The Government only provides such information about the successful candidate.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department or its employment agency adviser had with Mr Paul Newby about actual and potential conflicts of interest prior to his appointment as the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: As is standard practice, Mr Newby was asked during the appointments process to declare any potential conflicts of interest.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Saxton Bampfylde

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for how long Saxton Bampfylde Ltd has acted as an employment adviser to his Department.

Anna Soubry: Saxton Bampfylde does not act as an “employment adviser” to the Department. When recruiting for some senior positions Ministers may choose to engage an executive search agency to ensure a strong and diverse field of candidates. A procurement exercise is undertaken to contract with a suitable executive search firm for each specific recruitment campaign.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department or Saxton Bampfylde Ltd approached any person to apply for the Pubs Code Adjudicator vacancy.

Anna Soubry: The Department and the contracted executive search agency, Saxton Bampfylde, approached individuals to consider applying for the Pubs Code Adjudicator vacancy. This was done in accordance with standard practice.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations were (a) made by his Department to pub companies and (b) received from such companies on the recruitment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: No such representations were made or received.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who was on the interview panels for the recruitment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: The following individuals formed the Interview Panel for this vacancy: Olivia Grant – a Public Appointment Assessor appointed by the regulator – The Commissioner for Public Appointments,Katherine Courtney – Enterprise Director from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, andLewis Shand Smith, Chief Ombudsman for Ombudsman Services, as the Independent Panel Member.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department had with Mr Paul Newby's employer on his contributions to the draft Pubs Code.

Anna Soubry: No such discussions were held.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what role Ministers played in the recruitment process for the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: The process was conducted in accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.Ministers at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills took active involvement in overseeing the recruitment process for the Pubs Code Adjudicator.The Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise met the candidates judged by the panel as appointable. In accordance with the Code of Practice, a senior representative of OCPA was present at those meetings.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants to the Pubs Code Adjudicator vacancy were subject to departmental clearance checks; and how many applicants did not pass those checks and for what reasons.

Anna Soubry: In accordance with standard departmental practice, successful candidates are subject to departmental clearance checks.

Public Houses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Pubs Code Adjudicator on (a) the length of leases given to pub tenants by owners of pubs, (b) implementation of the market rent only option for pub tenants and (c) the independence of the adjudicator from pub companies.

Anna Soubry: There have been no discussions of the types described with the Adjudicator.BIS officials met the Adjudicator after his appointment to provide him with a high level briefing on Part 4 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act and some areas of the draft Pubs Code in order to familiarise him with key aspects ahead of him taking up this important role. During the course of this briefing there was a discussion of some technical aspects of the market rent option arbitration process - for example, the length of time it takes to appoint an independent expert - where the Adjudicator shared his professional insights.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the nature of the contribution of Mr Paul Newby was to the drafting of and consultation process for the Pubs Code; and when those contributions were delivered.

Anna Soubry: Mr Newby has not been involved in the drafting of and consultation process for the Pubs Code.

Employment: Telephone Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 26567, how many (a) calls and (b) enquiries the Pay and Work Rights helpline received (i) by each employment sector of caller and (ii) regarding each of the topics on the Pay and Work Rights Helpline's database.

Nick Boles: The attached table shows the total number of enquiries made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) by trade sector and whether the call relates to Employment Agency Standards, the Agricultural National Minimum Wage (NMW), Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Health and Safety Executive or NMW issues, where call topic information is collected, for 2014/15.



Pay & Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) enquiries stats
(PDF Document, 182.98 KB)

ACAS

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many enquires Acas received from (a) employees and (b) employers (i) from each employment sector and (ii) relating to each topic on its database in each year since 2009-10.

Nick Boles: The number of enquiries received by the Acas Helpline for each year since 09/10, broken down by (a) employee and (b) employer calls, is as follows:YearEmployee (including 3rd party on behalf of employees, Apprentices, Agency Workers and Interns)Employer (including 3rd Parties on behalf of Employer and Managers)2009-10530,039199,1732010-11522,004183,5662011-12530,226167,6402012-13607,396176,4222013-14536,620143,9462014-15573,211148,3262015-16*(*1 April 2015 to 29 February 2016)552,418131,873 (i) Acas does not routinely collect employment sector / industry data from Acas Helpline callers. Acas does however conduct periodic random surveys of callers and information by employment sector / industry can be found in table 2.6 of the latest published research report at: http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/4/h/0215-Acas-Helpline-evaluation.pdf (ii) The number of enquiries received by the Acas Helpline from employees and employers relating to specific call topics for each year since 09/10, can be found in the attached table.



ACAS enquiries by call topics
(Excel SpreadSheet, 48.5 KB)

ACAS: Public Bodies

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many referrals Acas made to each public body relating to each (a) employment sector and (b) topic on its database in each year since 2009-10.

Nick Boles: The only referrals recorded by Acas are those made to the various enforcement bodies that have been set up to protect vulnerable workers. Acas has made these referrals since taking over the Pay and Work Rights Helpline in April 2015. The number of referrals made to each enforcement body since April 2015 is set out in the following table: HMRCEASHSEGLATotalApril to Feb Total1,667229111112,018Source: AcasHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – calls on potential enforcement of the National Minimum WageEmployment Agency Standards Inspectorate – calls on potential enforcement of employment agency legislation (except Agency Worker Regulations)Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) – calls relating to agency workers in agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering or associated processing and packagingHealth and Safety Executive (HSE) – calls on potential enforcement of working time issues, including enforcement of maximum weekly working hours

Parental Leave and Parental Pay

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people have (a) taken shared parental leave and (b) made a claim for shared parental pay since April 2015; and what proportion of such claimants were fathers and partners.

Nick Boles: The Government does not yet have any information on the take up of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. Information for the 2015-16 tax year will be available from May 2016, although it will also include Additional Statutory Paternity Pay information up to December 2015. This will give the total number of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay but will not routinely include information on the proportion of claimants who were fathers and partners.The Government does not collect information on the number of employees who have taken Shared Parental Leave. We will evaluate the policy by 2018 and this will enable us to better estimate the actual take up for leave.

Higher Education: Ethnic Groups

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with universities on the wide implementation of the Race Equality Charter Mark.

Joseph Johnson: The Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) is a higher education sector body that supports equality and diversity for staff and students across the UK. They developed and launched the Race Equality Charter (REC) in January 2016, with the aim of improving the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education. Institutions can apply for a Bronze or Silver REC award, depending on their level of progress.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has set a goal of increasing by 20% the number of BME students in higher education by 2020. In guidance to the Director of Fair Access, which we published on 11 February, we ask him to maximise the contribution of Access Agreements towards this ambition.

Department for International Development

South Sudan: Females

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to protect and support the rights of women and girls in South Sudan.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK continues to press the Government of South Sudan to progress its commitments to tackle violence against women, to push for both the Government and Opposition to meet the agreed quotas for women’s participation in the transitional government of national unity.Our development programmes in country dovetail with HMG’s overall efforts to support the rights of women in South Sudan. Through our Access to Justice Programme we seek to improve access to justice for those subjected to sexual and gender based violence. Our education programmes seek to empower women including the Girls Education South Sudan programme which operates in all South Sudanese states to help 200,000 girls complete secondary school. Our humanitarian support funds projects in the conflict-affected Greater Upper Nile region to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence against women and girls. Women’s empowerment projects in Lakes and Central Equatoria states are funded through the cross-governmental Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and the FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme.

Department for Education

Schools: Floods

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support the academies risk protection arrangement is providing to schools affected by the recent floods.

Edward Timpson: The Risk Protection Agreement (RPA) will cover all storm related costs, including flooding, incurred by academy trusts which are members of the RPA, in accordance with RPA membership rules. Cover will also be provided for temporary accommodation while their original buildings are being reinstated. The RPA service providers are working closely with those schools affected to minimise disruption and complete remedial works in a timely manner to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. Further information on the cover provided by the RPA can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-protection-arrangement-rpa-for-academy-trusts-membership-rules

Burnley Road Academy: Risk Management

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, within what timescale the Risk Protection Arrangement will cover (a) the costs of temporary accommodation while the original building is reinstated and (b) all other storm-related costs incurred by Burnley Road Academy.

Edward Timpson: The Risk Protection Agreement (RPA) will cover all the costs associated with temporary accommodation for the period whilst the original building is fully reinstated. Significant costs arising are likely to be met in the form of staged payments as and when they arise. The tender processes for repairs to Burnley Road Academy and the remedial work necessary have yet to be concluded; therefore we are unable to provide specific timescales as to when the full costs will be reimbursed at this stage. The latest position for Burnley Road Academy in relation to both costs of temporary accommodation (Business Interruption) and all other storm related costs (Property Buildings and Property Contents) within scope of the RPA membership rules is summarised in the table below: Summary of RPA Claims due to Storms December 2015 - Status at 29.02.16Total Value of claims received (paid & reserve)School Property Buildings (£)  Property Contents (£)  Business Interruption  (£) Grand Total (£) BURNLEY ROAD ACADEMY697,000.00307,500.00210,000.001,214,500.00Further information on the cover provided by the RPA can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-protection-arrangement-rpa-for-academy-trusts-membership-rules

Academies: Risk Management

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will update the actuarial analysis used for the Risk Protection Arrangement to include the effect of the recent storms in the assessment of exposure to risk.

Edward Timpson: All claims received up to 31 March 2016, including those arising from the recent storm events, will form part of the next actuarial analysis of claim experience and will inform the assessment of risk to the Risk Protection Agreement. Our next actuarial analysis exercise will be finalised in July 2016.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Discipline

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many concerted indiscipline incidents of each type have occurred in each prison establishment in each month since May 2005.

Andrew Selous: Violence in prisons has increased in recent years. The nature of offenders currently in custody and the widespread availability of new psychoactive substances have both contributed to making prisons less safe. There is no single, simple solution to the problems we face but we are making progress.We have launched a two year Violence Reduction project to help us to gain a better understanding of the causes and characteristics of violence. We are also trialling the use of body worn cameras in prisons, training sniffer dogs to detect new psychoactive substances and have made it an offence to smuggle new psychoactive substances into prison. However, ultimately the only way to reduce violence in our prisons is to give governors and those who work in prisons the tools necessary to more effectively reform and rehabilitate offenders.Many Concerted indiscipline incidents vary widely in nature and duration and many of these incidents are relatively minor and of short duration and cause little disruption to the prison regime.Note: The figures included in the table attached, have been drawn from the NOMS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last case the figures may not be accurate to that level.



Concerted Indiscipline Incidents 2005-16
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.07 KB)

Young Offenders: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of young offenders previously sentenced to (a) up to five, (b) between five and 10 and (c) more than 10 Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YRO) were sentenced to another YRO for a further offence in the most recent year for which information is available; and for which offence that further YRO was given in each such case.

Andrew Selous: The following table shows the number of juveniles in the year ending September 2015 by the offence type of the crime for which the youth rehabilitation order was received and the number of previous youth rehabilitation orders. Compared to the year ending March 2010 in year ending March 2015 there were 67% fewer first-time entrants to the youth justice system and 67% fewer who received a caution or court disposal. However, reoffending rates are far too high and the care and supervision of young offenders in custody is not good enough. That is why the Justice Secretary has asked Charlie Taylor to conduct a review of youth justice. He will report back later this year with recommendations on how to improve the treatment of young people in our care. Number of juveniles1 receiving youth rehabilitation orders by offence type and the number of previous youth rehabilation orders the juvenile had received, England and Wales, year ending September 20152   Number of juveniles  Total number of juveniles Number of previous youth rehabilitation ordersOffence Classification  none1 - 45-10more than 10Violence against the person 66 432120Sexual offences 45 39600Robbery 33 31200Theft Offences 353 178161131Criminal damage and arson 36 151830Drug offences 77 472721Possession of weapons 45 291510Public order offences 70 402631Miscellaneous crimes against society 93 553710Fraud offences 4 3100Summary offences excluding motoring 608 312275201Summary motoring offences 2 1100Total 1,432 793590454Source: Ministry of Justice's extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) NOTES:   1. Figures are based on counting the number of occasions an offender received a youth rehabilitation order in England and Wales, meaning an offender can appear more than once in the totals if the offender was convicted on multiple occasions.2. All data have been taken from the MoJ extract of the Police National Computer. This includes details of all convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings given for recordable offences (see www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1139/schedule/made for definition). It is therefore possible that some offenders presented in the table above have previously also received convictions for offences not recorded on the PNC.3. Figures are based on counting the number of occasions on which offenders have previously received a youth rehabilitation order recorded on the Police National Computer, including some offences committed outside of England and Wales.

Just Solutions International

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether recent representations have been made to his Department about the extent to which former employees of Just Solutions International (JSI) followed proper procedures in accepting employment in the private sector that was related to their previous work for JSI.

Andrew Selous: I made a Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 14 March which can be found at the following link:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-03-14/HCWS619/The rules around former civil servants taking up employment in the private sector are published on gov.uk and are made very clear when they leave. We take all allegations of impropriety extremely seriously and have launched an immediate investigation, with support from Cabinet Office, to ascertain the facts. I will update the House when the investigation is complete.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Telecommunications

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made reforming the Electronic Communications Code.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government remains committed to delivering a reformed Electronic Communications Code that is clear, fit for purpose, and supports a UK network that provides consumers with a choice of high quality telecommunications services.

Arts: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated to arts groups in Romford in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Romford h​as enjoyed record levels of funding over ​recent years - £332,259 in 2014/15; and £402,919 in 2015/16 (year to date ​14​th March).​T​his investment from Arts Council England has supported a number of exciting projects, including​ ​the African Culture​,​ Arts and Sport Network​ and​ D-Live! delivered by Young Droots Theatre which aims to find a new generation of deaf artists and performers.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Overtime

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

Justin Tomlinson: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 04 March 2016.The correct answer should have been:

This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.As part of this Government’s transparency agenda, all Departments are required to publish monthly workforce statistics that includes overtime costs. This information is available from the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-staff-numbers-and-associated-costs

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.As part of this Government’s transparency agenda, all Departments are required to publish monthly workforce statistics that includes overtime costs. This information is available from the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-staff-numbers-and-associated-costs

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling his Department used to propose the new transitional benefit arrangements for EU migrants; when benefit payments under those arrangements will be greater than zero per cent; and what proportion of benefits EU migrants will be able to claim in each of the next five years.

Priti Patel: These details are a matter for the implementation of the proposal, and further announcements will be made in due course.

Private Rented Housing: Disability

Mary Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people with disabilities with the cost of housing in the private rented sector.

Justin Tomlinson: There are a number of ways the Department helps people with disabilities who are entitled to Housing Benefit and are renting in the private sector. The enhanced package of Discretionary Housing Payments funding (£870 million over 5 years) will enable LAs to protect vulnerable claimants and support households affected by the Housing Benefit reforms. In addition to this, single disabled people under 35 years of age who are in receipt of the severe disability premium are exempt from the shared accommodation rate under the Local Housing Allowance scheme. Disabled people with overnight care needs may be eligible for an additional bedroom for a non-resident carer under the size criteria rules.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what public awareness campaigns his Department has planned to improve awareness of work-related respiratory illness.

Justin Tomlinson: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the national regulator for health and safety at work, takes a lead role in raising awareness of work related respiratory diseases. HSE has run campaigns targeted at specific at-risk workers and/or their employers, a recent example being the ‘Beware Asbestos’ campaign which ran from October 2014 to March 2015 and focussed on tradespeople such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers. HSE has also supported other organisations such as the British Occupational Hygiene Society to develop its 'Breathe Freely' campaign targeted at work in the construction industry. HSE has recently published a new strategy for the GB health and safety system called ‘Helping Great Britain work well’. One of the six themes of the strategy is ‘Tackling ill health’ which will include long-term and coordinated action across all sectors, bringing in additional partners such as the NHS and others to support the substantial behaviour change and awareness programmes that will be required.

Department for Work and Pensions: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much security guards in his Department are paid.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP do not directly employ any security guards, they are supplied via our PFI contractor Telereal Trillium who subcontract the supply of all security to G4S. G4S pay rates (as of 1 January 2016) vary on geographical location and the average pay rate for each Government Office Region (GOR) is set out below: GOVERNMENT OFFICE REGIONHOURLY PAY RATE (Average)GOR 1 Scotland£7.84GOR 2 North East£7.84GOR 3 North West£7.85GOR 4 Yorkshire & Humberside£7.86GOR 5 East Midlands£7.86GOR 6 West Midlands£7.83GOR 7 East of England£8.38GOR 8 Wales£7.87GOR 9 Southern£8.39GOR 10 London£9.26GOR 11 South West£7.88 All G4S security guards/officers (irrespective of age) are already paid above the National Living Wage of £7.20/hour which will be introduced from 01-Apr-16.

Children: Maintenance

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that absent parents financially support their children.

Priti Patel: Child Maintenance Options provide free and impartial information and support to help separated parents make decisions about their child maintenance arrangements. For parents who are unable to make a family-based arrangement the government has introduced a new statutory Child Maintenance Service, which will bring speedier processing of applications, simpler calculations and faster enforcement action, where necessary.Where parents fail to fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children we have a range of strong enforcement powers at our disposal. These powers include deducting maintenance directly from earnings, instructing bailiffs to collect arrears or seize goods, forcing the sale of property, disqualification from driving and commitment to prison.

Personal Independence Payment: Secure Psychiatric Units

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals received personal independence payment between 2012 and 2015; and what the average weekly payment of that benefit was to such recipients.

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals received income support between 2012 and 2015; and what the average weekly payment of that benefit was to such recipients.

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals received employment and support allowance between 2012 and 2015; and what the average weekly payment of that benefit was to such recipients.

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals received pension credit between 2012 and 2015; and what the average weekly payment of that credit was to such recipients.

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what social security benefits are being claimed by patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been migrated from disability living allowance to personal independence payments in (a) the UK (b) London and (c) Hornsey and Wood Green constituency since the introduction of those payments.

Justin Tomlinson: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is currently available in Great Britain and will be introduced in Northern Ireland later this year. The latest available data on PIP claims in payment for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of Disability Living Allowance) are published on Gov.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.In particular, breakdowns of reassessed claims in payment, by a range of geographical breakdowns, can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.

Disability Living Allowance: Heart Diseases

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to update the document, Medical guidance for DLA decision makers (child cases): staff guide, last updated on 8 December 2015, to incorporate references to congenital, inherited or acquired heart disease.

Justin Tomlinson: The department has committed to undertake a comprehensive review of the suite of medical guidance products for Child Disability Living Allowance decision makers over the next 12 months. This will include creating additional guidance where required.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the administration of changes to migrant benefits proposed under the planned emergency brake on in-work benefits for EU citizens in employment in the UK.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 15 March 2016



These details are a matter for the implementation of the proposal, and further announcements will be made in due course.

Families: Impact Assessments

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will ensure that the Government publishes a family impact test in respect of all future primary and secondary legislation.

Priti Patel: While we encourage departments to publish Family Test assessments, there is no requirement to do so, as this may not always be appropriate. Assessments against the Family Test are completed by policy officials in the course of developing advice on new policy; this may include some ideas that do not progress beyond the design stage.

Department for Work and Pensions: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and which family test assessments he has seen in the last six months.

Priti Patel: We do not record the number of assessments conducted. Assessments against the Family Test are completed by policy officials in the course of developing advice on new policy and can be included in submissions to Ministers. Assessments can be completed for some policies in the early stages of development, including for some ideas that do not progress beyond the design stage.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made in setting out and implementing a national strategy for areas of outstanding natural beauty; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) partnerships and conservation boards, along with National Park Authorities, are a vital part of the fabric of the nation. Whilst there are no current plans to either set out or implement a specific national strategy for AONBs, I recognise that they make a significant contribution to realising Defra’s wider ambitions for the natural environment, and they are engaged in our ongoing development of a 25 Year Plan for the Environment.

Flood Control

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the recommendations of the Pitt Review on the 2007 floods, whether her Department plans to (a) change building regulations to make homes more resilient in flood risk areas and (b) increase the adoption of sustainable drainage systems in order to better manage urban flood risk in the long term.

Rory Stewart: Building regulations were updated in 2013 and enable the incorporation of flood resilience measures into building work. In addition, the British Standards Institution published BS8550 in November 2015. This is a technical standard addressing resilience and resistance issues. We continue to promote better resilience and support innovations in this field. On 6 April 2015, planning policy was strengthened to ensure that sustainable drainage systems are provided in new major developments where appropriate, and that clear arrangements are in place for ongoing maintenance over the lifetime of the development.

Home Office

Anorexia: Internet

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle websites which promote and encourage anorexia; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making it a criminal offence to publish pro-anorexia material online.

Karen Bradley: The Government is committed to continue working with the internet industry in the United Kingdom to keep young people safe on-line and to promote access to positive support for those children and young people who are vulnerable to suggestion from so called pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites.The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups, and government departments to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. As part of this work, the UK’s Communications regulator, Ofcom, published good practice guidance in 2015 for providers of social media and interactive services, to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” and make their platforms safer for children and young people under 18. A wide range of partners contributed to this project, including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, MindCandy and Microsoft.UKCCIS has also published a guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media. The guide includes practical tips about the use of safety and privacy features on apps and platforms, as well as conversation prompts to help families begin talking about on-line safety. It also contains pointers to further advice and support. The Government is clear that what is illegal off-line is illegal on-line and is not currently considering making it an offence to publish pro-anorexia material on-line.

Lasers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has sought advice on the re-classification of powerful handheld lasers as offensive weapons since 14 February 2016; whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to so classify those lasers in the current Parliament.

Mike Penning: The sale and use of laser pointers is an issue that cuts across a number of Government Departments, including the Home Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department of Health and the Department for Transport.The Home Office is working closely with the other interested Departments and we are looking at a number of options.

HM Treasury

Financial Services: EU Law

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to UK firms of implementing Capital Requirement Directive IV.

Harriett Baldwin: The Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV) implements, in the EU, the prudential banking standards agreed by the international Basel Committee. The Government supports these global standards to ensure that we do not again face severe economic impacts as a result of inadequate banking regulation and would have implemented these with or without EU legislation. It is difficult to isolate the costs and benefits from other prudential banking measures introduced since the global financial crisis. And the benefits in particular are hard to capture as they take time to materialize. However, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) stated in its cost-benefit analysis carried out 2013 that ‘the CRDIV package is net beneficial to the UK economy.’ Taking all of the prudential measures together, the PRA has estimated that the net economic benefit is £8.25bn per annum.

Whisky: Scotland

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of duty on Scotch whisky on the export of that product.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs supported by the Scotch whisky industry in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the value to the economy of the Scotch whisky industry.

Damian Hinds: There is no alcohol duty payable on exported Scotch Whisky. The government is committed to supporting the Scotch Whisky industry. The duty on spirits was cut at March Budget 2015 and, to continue this support, Budget 2016 announced a duty freeze for spirits this year.

Revenue and Customs: Buildings

Lucy Allan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date the leases for HM Revenue and Customs offices Abbey House and Parkside Court will end.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) occupies Abbey House, Telford, under the terms of its property outsourcing contract (STEPS) with Mapeley rather than under a traditional lease. The STEPS contract expires in April 2021, and includes flexibility for HMRC to vacate properties prior to 2021 as well as rights of occupation beyond this date. HMRC occupies Parkside Court, Telford under the terms of an inter-departmental accommodation sharing arrangement with the Land Registry. The arrangement is due to expire on 4 January 2017 and includes rights of renewal for HMRC in line with the over-arching departmental estate strategy.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Meters

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to ensure that suppliers that are awarded smart meter derogations relating to in-home displays provide alternatives to such devices that are appropriate for all energy customers.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government agreed in its ‘In Home Display Licence Conditions: Consultation response’ document published in February 2016 to introduce a derogation process for suppliers to apply to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State to undertake trials of innovative In Home Display alternatives when installing smart meters: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/smart-meter-in-home-display-licence-conditions. As set out in the consultation response, one of the key trial requirements on which applications will be assessed is how suppliers will consider the needs of all energy customers when providing them a data engagement tool, including those with accessibility needs.

Energy: Meters

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making all smart meter derogations subject to randomised control trials.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government agreed in its ‘In Home Display Licence Conditions: Consultation response’ document published in February 2016 to introduce a derogation process for suppliers to apply to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State to undertake trials of innovative In Home Display alternatives with consumers when installing smart meters: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/smart-meter-in-home-display-licence-conditions. As set out in the consultation response, the Department is preparing guidance to help suppliers develop derogation proposals. This will include guidance on the use of a range of different research designs and methods, including randomised control trials and other approaches to generating robust evidence.

Carbon Sequestration

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 23417, whether she plans to issue a direction to hold a Contracts for Difference round for carbon capture and storage.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government believes CCS could play a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK. Under the Contracts for Difference (Definition of Eligible Generator) Regulations 2014, Contract for Difference allocation rounds are limited to renewable technologies. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State can direct the award of a Contract for Difference to a CCS project. Whether or not she would do so would be subject to circumstances at the time, including factors such as value for money, affordability and competing demands on available budgets.

Power Failures

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans the Government has in place to protect the UK from widespread electricity failure.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC works collaboratively with industry and other government partners to develop contingency plans to a range of risks that can impact the electricity sector. These plans are set out in the National Emergency Plan – Downstream Gas and Electricity, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/385885/UK_DGE_NEP_-_November_2014.pdf.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many officials of her Department are working on contingency plans for widespread electricity failure.

Andrea Leadsom: There are seven officials who work on contingency and risk planning for widespread disruptions to energy supply, including electricity supply, for example due to flooding, pandemic flu, malicious threats such as terrorism, and severe weather.

Wind Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential for windfarms to reduce energy costs during the winter months.

Andrea Leadsom: In winter 2014/151 around 11.6% of the electricity generated in the UK was sourced from wind.2 Along with other forms of low-carbon generation, this helps put downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices, helping to offset some of the costs of supporting renewable generation on final energy bills. DECC estimates that wholesale electricity prices were around £1/MWh lower (equivalent to £5 lower for an average household energy bill) in 2014 than they would have been in the absence of policies to support investment in low-carbon generation, and reduce electricity demand. In 2020, wholesale electricity prices are estimated to be around £4/MWh lower (or £12 lower for an average household energy bill) than they would be in the absence of the same policies.3  [1] Defined as the period Q4 2014 to Q1 20152 Source: DECC Energy Trends3 All figures are real 2014 prices. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills-2014.

Energy: Prices

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the contribution of the Prime Minister on 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 316, what steps the Government has taken to bring forward legislative proposals to compel energy companies to give the lowest tariff to their customers.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government introduced powers in the Energy Act 2013 to give effect to the Prime Minister’s commitment. These powers enabled the Government to make changes to supplier standard licence conditions to ensure that customers are on the cheapest tariff that is in line with their preferences. However as the necessary changes to supplier licence conditions were introduced by Ofgem in 2013, the Government has not had to exercise these powers. Ofgem has since referred the GB energy market to the Competition and Markets Authority for a full market investigation which is due to conclude in June 2016 following the publication of the Provisional Decision on Remedies on 10 March. The Government has committed to taking forward the CMA’s recommendations.

Energy: Meters

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to paragraph 36 of the Competition and Markets Authority report on energy market investigation published on 10 March 2016, if her Department will prioritise customers with dumb prepay meters in the smart meter rollout.

Andrea Leadsom: The Competition and Market Authority provisional decision on remedies published on 10 March 2016 recognises the key contribution smart metering will make to strengthening retail competition and consumer engagement in the energy market, but did not recommend prioritising the roll-out of smart meters to prepayment customers.There is a clear incentive for suppliers to offer smart meters to prepayment customers early, because prepayment customers who have ‘traditional’ meters currently cost more to serve. A number of energy suppliers are already offering or trialling smart prepayment services and offering a more competitive range of prepay tariffs to consumers.

Natural Gas: Exports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of gas produced in the UK was exported to Western Europe in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom: We have a liquid market in the UK and trade is not limited to gas that is produced in GB. Details of domestic production and exports to Western Europe via the Bacton-Zeebrugge Interconnector with the Continent for the years 2012 – 2014 are outlined in the attached. Figures for 2015 are being compiled and therefore not yet available.All data is published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2015.



Bacton-Zeebrugge Interconnector 2012-14
(Word Document, 13.67 KB)

Natural Gas: Competition

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the competitiveness of the UK gas industry compared to its European counterparts.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK gas supply industry is diverse and many companies operate across Europe and the world. I have made no specific assessment of the overall competitiveness of this sector compared to its European counterparts.

Fuel Poverty: South West

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent estimate she has made of the number of households affected by fuel poverty in (a) Torridge and West Devon constituency and (b) the South West of England in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom: The estimated number and proportion of households affected by fuel poverty in (a) Torridge and West Devon and (b) the South West of England for each of the past 3 years are shown below:  2011  20122013* Number of fuel poor householdsPercentage of householdsNumber of fuel poor householdsPercentage of householdsNumber of fuel poor householdsPercentage of householdsTorridge and West Devon4,0819.7%4,93711.4%6,10113.8%South West England211,0249.4%217,2109.3%274,88811.5%*2013 estimates are based on an updated energy consumption model, therefore, any changes between 2012 and 2013 figures should be treated with caution.

Power Failures

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of which fuel source is the most efficient for national electricity grid re-starts following power cuts; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC officials routinely work with National Grid to assess the resilience of response processes, including the failure of the National Electricity Transmission System.This work includes assessment of how different fuel sources can deliver this ‘Black Start’ capability.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of ultra-super critical coal-fired power stations in other countries that are (a) generating electricity and (b) under construction.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department does not hold this information.

Department of Health

Learning Disability: Nurses

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that there should be a learning disability liaison nurse in every acute hospital in England.

Ben Gummer: Staffing levels are the responsibility of National Health Service organisations, which must make sure the number of staff and skill mix of the workforce, reflects patient care needs and local requirements. It is therefore up to NHS trusts to make decisions about employing learning disability nurses.The Strengthening the Commitment: The report of the UK Modernising Learning Disability Nursing Review (2012) centred on strengthening the capacity, capability, quality and leadership of the learning disabilities nursing profession to ensure that people with learning disabilities have access to the expert nursing care they need. The Department has set up a Strengthening the Commitment Implementation Group in England to take forward the recommendations including the employment of learning disability nurses within acute hospitals.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Nurses

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital trusts employ 1.5 full time equivalent inflammatory bowel disease nurses per 250,000 population.

Ben Gummer: Information on the number of hospital trusts that employ inflammatory bowel disease nurses, at 1.5 full-time equivalent or otherwise, is not collected by the Department.It is for local National Health Service organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local populations to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses.